To shop like a saint, follow the ticks

Being a good consumer is not just about spending your hard-earned cash wisely but spending it with a clear conscience, according to the authors of fifth edition of The Good Shopping Guide. The guide gives ethical ratings for a wide range of companies, products and services ranging from kitchen furniture and cars to margarine and mortgages.

For an at-a-glance verdict on a product, look for the symbols: a tick means it scores well in its sector in all ethical areas, while a question mark reflects high scores in some areas and low in others. The cross symbol applies to brands and companies that fall behind their peers in a wide ranging ethical audit. Chocolate lovers, for example, will see that the tick symbol applies to the Divine and Traidcraft brands, while Dairy Milk and Green & Black's receive a question mark and KitKat and chocolate oranges a cross. Banks and building societies receiving a tick include the Co-op, Charity and Triodos banks, and the Ecology, Nationwide, Norwich & Peterborough and Yorkshire building societies. Abbey, Barclays, Egg, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Natwest and Woolwich all attract a cross. The Good Shopping Guide is £14.95 and is available from www.ethical-company-organisation.org.

Honed improvements

Consumer spending on home improvements has soared by 76 per cent over the last decade from £6.4bn to £11.3bn, according to Halifax. To help DIYers spend that money more sensibly, the lender has launched www.homeimprovementadvice.co.uk, a website dedicated to tips on everything from a simple makeover to full loft conversion.

Putting a cheque on fraud

Banks and building societies are to stop accepting cheques payable simply to a financial institution. The new arrangements, which come into force on 1 October, mean you will need to add details such as the payee's name or account number to a cheque to reduce the chances of fraudsters paying it into their own accounts.

The payments clearing organisation Apacs has published a range of tips to combat fraudsters. Among them are the recommendations that cheque users never pre-sign a blank cheque, and that they should complete all sections and leave as little blank space as possible. The Building Society Association has a leaflet on its website at www.bsa.org.uk or phone 020 7437 0655.

Credit matchmaker

Consumers who are worried about using financial price comparison websites to apply for credit in case they damage their credit score can use a free 'lender matching' service instead. A new website service, www.annualcreditreport.co.uk, uses a credit score derived from the consumer's actual credit record and matches lenders to consumers that are most likely to accept their application. This 'dramatically increases the chance of success' in finding a deal, according to joint managing director Barry Stamp. The service cited research that highlights the danger of using websites that offer a list of providers using the cheapest headline interest rates. Would-be borrowers who then go on to apply to several lenders in a short period can trigger the credit industry's fraud systems.

Fair deal for kids' savings

Nationwide building society is demanding a fairer savings deal for those children under 18 who are not eligible for the Child Trust Fund. It is asking the government to offer this 10-million-strong group the same tax incentives so they also have the chance to save a tax-free lump sum by the time they leave home. Children born on or after 1 September 2002 not only receive a minimum £250 lump sum from the government to kick-start their savings at birth (and a further £250 when they are seven), but the family can also top it up to £1,200 a year, where it can grow tax-free until the kids are 18. The funds can cause a divide within families, with older children likely to hit 18 with fewer savings than younger siblings. Nationwide also believes parents are less likely to contribute to one off spring's fund if their older child does not qualify.